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Sunday, January 23, 2011

MANY have asked for an update on Meredith and her kidney/pancreas transplant. I am so extremely heartbroken to say that she lost the pancreas...it kept clotting and there was no blood flow. The kidney however is working beautifully and this is the vital organ she needed...so no cure for her diabetes but she is alive! Please keep saying prayers...she doesn't know yet since she just got out of surgery.

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This is a chronicle of my journey as a woman and a mommy to three beautiful babies...two of which happen to have type 1 diabetes and one who does not. Simply put, my life is complicated. Hope you enjoy and can share in my struggles and triumphs!

What is Type 2? Type 2 Diabetes occurs when insulin that the body produces is less efficient at moving sugar out of the bloodstream. Some sugar is moved out of the blood, just not as effectively compared to a person with normal insulin efficiency. High blood sugars are a result of this. Diet, exercise, weight loss, and possible medications are the treatment for this type of diabetes. Occasionally, someone with Type 2 may be placed on insulin to better control blood sugars. This type of diabetes is associated with physical inactivity and obesity. Type 2 Diabetes used to be thought of as the adult onset type of diabetes. However, an alarming rate of children are now being diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes (from http://www.diabetesplanner.com/).

What is a bolus?A bolus dose of insulin is the dose of regular or rapid-acting insulin that is injected to cover the food eaten in a meal or a snack (carbohydrates specifically).

What is basal insulin?The basal insulin is the “background” insulin, it works behind the scenes to cover daily functions such as breathing, heart rate, etc.

What is DOC or D-OC?Diabetes Online Community

What is PWD?Person With Diabetes

What is a D-Mom?Mother of a diabetic

What is the average range of numbers?This can vary by age but for Lily (7) it’s 80-160. Anything below 70 is low and must be treated with 15 grams of carbs. High for us is anything over around 250 and we give insulin to bring the number back down.

What is DKA?Diabetic ketoacidosis, aka DKA, is a serious complication of diabetes, which occurs when a very high blood sugar level (above 300 mg/dL) is coupled with a severe shortage of insulin in the body. This is more common in Type I diabetes because the body produces very little or no insulin on it's own. The body starts to break down fat for energy and ketones (toxic acids) develop. People with DKA usually complain of nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, rapid breathing, and sometimes a fruity odor on their breath. This can lead to coma or death and should be treated by medical personnel immediately (from http://www.about.com/).

What are ketones?Organic compounds that result when body fat is broken down for energy. Glucose is usually used by cells for energy. But, when there's no insulin to help it transport out of the blood and into the cells, the body has an "energy crisis" and starts to break down body fat into ketones as an alternative fuel source (from http://www.about.com/).

What is an A1C test?It is an average of blood sugars over a 2-3 month period of time and is used to determine how well diabetes is being managed. For dummies: The report card.